Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. Buys 657 Shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its stake in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 0.3% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 205,714 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 657 shares during the quarter. Costco Wholesale makes up 0.6% of Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 27th biggest position. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $188,490,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Broadway Wealth Solutions Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,493,000. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC raised its position in Costco Wholesale by 56,071.0% during the 4th quarter. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC now owns 17,413 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $15,955,000 after purchasing an additional 17,382 shares in the last quarter. Providence Capital Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 4.8% in the 4th quarter. Providence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 307 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $281,000 after buying an additional 14 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter worth $5,182,316,000. Finally, Caisse Des Depots ET Consignations purchased a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter valued at $4,100,000. 68.48% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

Shares of COST stock opened at $938.75 on Friday. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 52-week low of $697.27 and a 52-week high of $1,078.24. The company has a quick ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23. The stock has a market cap of $416.51 billion, a PE ratio of 55.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.15 and a beta of 0.82. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $988.34 and a 200-day simple moving average of $945.95.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 6th. The retailer reported $4.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.09 by ($0.07). The company had revenue of $63.72 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $63.02 billion. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 2.93% and a return on equity of 32.31%. On average, equities analysts expect that Costco Wholesale Co. will post 18.03 EPS for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Investors of record on Friday, February 7th were given a dividend of $1.16 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 7th. This represents a $4.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.49%. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio is presently 27.09%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,075.00 to $1,035.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 20th. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $935.00 to $995.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Barclays upped their target price on Costco Wholesale from $940.00 to $980.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, March 10th. DA Davidson lifted their price target on Costco Wholesale from $900.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-one have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,029.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at Costco Wholesale

In other Costco Wholesale news, EVP Gary Millerchip sold 1,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $940.01, for a total value of $1,034,011.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 11,165 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,495,211.65. This trade represents a 8.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 900 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $922.56, for a total value of $830,304.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 6,987 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,445,926.72. The trade was a 11.41 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 5,600 shares of company stock valued at $5,215,915. Corporate insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale Company Profile

Costco Wholesale Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the operation of membership warehouses in the United States, Puerto Rico, Canada, Mexico, Japan, the United Kingdom, Korea, Australia, Taiwan, China, Spain, France, Iceland, New Zealand, and Sweden. The company offers branded and private-label products in a range of merchandise categories.